WACO UOC Custom ZK-AEL Returns to Omaka

The historic WACO UOC Custom ZK-AEL (c/n 4336) has recently returned to the register on 8/9/22 after a many years restoration by Jay McIntyre of JEM Aviation and Rex Newman.  It has recently been rolled out and looks amazing!

The aircraft was originally registered to the Marlborough Aero Club in May 1936 and was their flagship until WW II when it was impressed into the RNZAF as NZ575.  After the war it was registered as ZK-ALA and was cancelled as Withdrawn From Use in 1958.  The Waco was then transported to Australia but never flew there and languished in storage until it was returned to Omaka as a basket case 50 years later.

ZK-AEL has been repainted in the same colours that it came out of the factory with in 1935 and has been restored to its original luxury specifications.  It can be seen in the photo that it is actually a sesquiplane with a much smaller lower wing.

Hughes 369D ZK-HZI.

 The Hughes 369D ZK-HZI4 c/n 490487D was a winter project for Argus Aviation Ltd at Motueka and first flew there on 09-11-2022 with Nick Bates at the control.

From its c/n we can tell it was an April 1979 build becoming N66815 with Hughes Helicopters until a move to Canada where it become C-GPCE later that year with Liftair International out of Calgary. 
Its Canadian registration was cancelled on 14-11-1983 for it to become N4571V until returning to Canada to become C-FJJR with Vancouver Island Helicopters at Sydney, BC. 

This was cancelled on 29-10-1991 for it to become N4571V again but this time with Soloy Helicopters of Wasilla, Alaska from 31-10-1991.

It returned to Vancouver Island Helicopters from 06-06-1996 this time as C-FYED until being cancelled on 08-6-2000 for its move to Korea for Heli Korea with whom it became HL9143.
Noted at Motueka earlier this year it will go to its new owners at Taupo after completion of its test flying.

Below we see HL9143 at Daegu on 11-04-2021.

Tecnam P2006T ZK-MTW at Wanaka.

 A reasonably recent change of operator for the Tenam P2006T ZK-MTW c/n 065 was listed on 31-10-2022

This had been online with Mainland Air at Dunedin's Momona Airport but took up its new position at Wanaka on 05-10-2022 with U-Fly New Zealand Ltd.

ZK-MTW at Wanaka on 05-10-2022 with the 'U-Fly' on its port side only.

Squirrels in the Tararua district

A visit to the Tararua Heliworks' base near Pahiatua found their AS350B2 ZK-IEP now repainted in the company's fleet colours.   This was imported from the US in 2015 and acquired by the company in 2017.

Up the road at Dannevirke airfield Brian Comerford's AS350B2 ZK-IDJ3 was parked up.  This was imported from the US in 2021.

And the Heliworx Aotearoa AS350B2 ZK-IQG has now acquired the company's logo and titling.  This was imported from Canada in 2014 and acquired by the company in January 2022.

 

Cessna 172B ZK-MKW and ZK-RWC

 From an identification request - see the final photo below - we have established that the aircraft in question is the Cessna 172B ZK-RWC as seen at Ardmore recently by Ian Bevins.

A quick history of this airframe runs something like this :-

Cessna 172B c/n 48207.

This was one of just shy of 1000 B models built in the 1961 US fiscal year.

During this time period Cessna/FAA allocated a block of registrations to a production run of airframes and conveniently the last two numbers of the airframe c/n coincided with the last two numbers of the allocated US civil registration.

In this case we have c/n 48207 with the registration of N7707X. 

If the aircraft was sold to a foreign country whilst still on the production line then the airframe invariably adopted the Cessna test registration of N11B for its test flights - with the initial US registration not being taken up.

So we have

N7707X                 1961    Cessna Aircraft Co, Wichita, Kansas. Not taken up.
N11B                     1961    Cessna Aircraft Co. Wichita, Kansas. Test registration.
VH-RKC    08-03-1961    Rockhampton Aero Club, Rockhampton, Queensland.
                  18-04-1964    Kingsford Smith Flying Service, Bankstown, NSW.

                  14-04-1967    Re-registered as VH-KFG2.
VH-KFG2   14-04-1967    Kingsford Smith Flying Service, Bankstown, NSW.

                                   VH-KFG at Bankstown still with the "KS" logo on its rudder.

                    14-04-1967    Rex Aviation, Bankstown, NSW.
                    11-05-1967    W D Cleary, Camden, NSW.
                    13-03-1975    Cancelled as withdrawn from use.
                    24-01-1986    E W Carter, Miranda, NSW.
                                          To Australian Air League, Miranda, NSW.

VH-KFG at Bankstown 1986 from David Carter.

                    28-09-1990    Camden Aviation, Camden, NSW
                    12-07-1993    Michael Kevin Wills, Point Piper, NSW.
                    xx-11-1999    Michael Kevin Wills, Auckland, NZ.
                    19-12-2000    Noted at Ardmore.
                    03-04-2001    Australian registration cancelled.

ZK-MKW     20-04-2001    Michael Kevin Wills, Auckland, NZ.  Personalised registration.
                    01-09-2005    M K Wills Ltd, Auckland.

ZK-MKW at Hastings on 09-02-1007.

                   11-11-2009    Re-registered ZK-RWC.
ZK-RWC    11-11-2009    W H & C B Coop C/- Richard William Coop, Mahia.
                                           Another personalised registration.

Peter Lewis photo 2009.

                    12-04-2013    Nose wheel collapse after hitting wooden post, Mahia.

                    07-06-2013    Registration cancelled as withdrawn.

                            ?             Fuselage noted at Ardmore.

ZK-RWC at Ardmore on the first of this month.

Richard Coop replaced this Cessna 172B ZK-RWC with the Cessna 180B ZK-LMW on 07-05-2013 which was re-registered as ZK-RWC2 on 10-06-2013.

Homebuilt and Sport Helicopters of New Zealand - Ultrasport 555Ts

The 2 seat Ultrasport 555T turbine helicopter was developed from the piston engined Sportscopter 600 and is the brainchild of Dick Sybrandy who is based at Manaia in Taranaki.  In my previous post on Sportscopters of New Zealand I mentioned that Dick Sybrandy acquired the Sportscopter 600 ZK-HJY2 after it was cancelled from the register on 9/10/00.  He formed Ultrasport Helicopters NZ Ltd in September 2010 and I understand from Dick that ZK-HJY2 was developed into the Ultrasport 555T turbine helicopter and it formed the basis of the second Ultrasport 555T ZK-ITK.  Then Dick Sybrandy formed a new company Auroa Helicopters and I understand he is still working on helicopter development.

The Ultrasport 555T helicopter is of steel tube and composite construction and is powered by a Solar T62-32 turbine engine of 160 HP which gives a respectable cruise speed of 150km/hr (81 knots).  Its has an empty weight of 310 Kg (683 pounds) and a MAUW of 600 Kg (1,320 pounds).

We have had four Ultrasport 555T helicopters registered in New Zealand to date, as follows: 

The first Ultrasport 555T was ZK-HEH4 (c/n UH 001) which was registered to Dick Sybrandy of Manaia on 23/7/10.  It suffered damage on 17/11/10 at Kapuni when it lost power on takeoff due to fuel contamination but it was repaired.  It was cancelled on 20/8/15 as exported.

Next up were a pair of 555Ts that were also registered on 23/7/10 - ZK-ITK (c/n UH 002) and ZK-ITL (c/n UH 003).  These were registered to Ultralight Helicopters NZ Ltd.  According to the Auroa Helicopters website the fleet of three 555Ts flew for 130 hours in 2010 and 2011.

ZK-ITK was cancelled as exported on 12/12/12, and ZK-ITL was cancelled as exported on 28/7/11 and went to South Africa where it became ZU-RLC.  Thanks for the photos Dick.

After a gap of nine years another Ultrasport 555T was registered.  This was ZK-HJY3 (c/n UHNZL 004) that was registered to D R Hopkins of Balclutha on 5/8/19.  It is photo'd near Balclutha on 17/6/22.  Thanks very much for the photo Dave.

Helicopters in Hawkes Bay

Busy on tourist sightseeing flights out of Napier Airport is Aroha Helicopters' vintage 1965 Bell 47G3B1 ZK-ICJ.    Imported from Australia back in 2002 it joined the Aroha fleet in June this year.

Down at Hastings airfield Rotor Force added the former East Kaweka Helicopters Hughes 369E ZK-HZH4 to their fleet in June this year.    This was originally imported from the UK in 2010.

Also in the Rotor Force fleet is the AS350B-3 ZK-IOX which was imported from Canada for them back in 2020.

 

New Magni Xtreme Gyrocopters

Assembled in the Rotor Force hangar at Hastings airfield are 3 brand new Magni Xtreme Gyrocopters just registered this month.

They comprise 2 M16s, ZK-RGT and RMG, and a M22 ZK-RRR2.    RGT is destined for a Dannevirke owner, RMG to Taupo and RRR for the Magni NZ dealer.

 

The Snark Helicopter that Never Made It

In a post on American Sportscopters that I did yesterday I mentioned that Trevor Rogers was also involved in an unmanned combat helicopter called the Snark.  It is not civil and it never flew but here is a photo of it for the record:

My week of it # 2.

    At Pukaki on the 12th the Walter powered Fletcher FU24-950 ZK-DJE c/n 176 was earning its keep.

Up at Ashburton on the 15th the Brent Lucas Beech 35-C33A Debonair ZK-MEC c/n CE-167 had dropped in for lunch.
This was imported in late 1986 for Morrow Engineering Co Ltd of Christchurch - later of Rangiora and then Forest Field. David sold it mid last year to Brent Lucas of Kerikeri.
They had just been into Rangiora to take previous owner Dvid Morrow for a ride (or was it the other way around).The recently installed all glass Garmin set up.

    At Heli Maintenance, Christchurch, on the 17th, I finally caught the Aerocopter AK1-3M ZK-HKH4                                                                                                                                c/n 0092 in the air.